Standard 3.1 - Not Yet Evident
The school engages all stakeholders in the development and implementation of a school improvement/growth plan, which reflects the school’s core values, beliefs about learning, and vision of the graduate.
Based on the following information, the school has a plan that includes school-specific goals. The school develops and regularly updates a school improvement/growth plan that promotes a strategic mindset that incorporates backward design and is aligned with district priorities. The school has yearly goals that are made collaboratively with the Instructional Leadership Team and the School Council. School goals and action plans are developed based on the district goals. These goals reflect the school's core values, beliefs about learning, and vision of the graduate. School Improvement Plans
The school develops and regularly updates a school improvement/growth plan that includes specific and measurable goals with expected learning impacts and is informed by the perspectives of the school community and current research. Multi-part professional development introduces goals at the start of the year and works towards those goals throughout. Professional development is modified based on surveys given to teachers and feedback about what needs they would like to have met during professional development time. This includes the evaluation of initiatives with opportunities for reflection and input from the various stakeholders. All teachers are given an opportunity to share what went well and what should be improved on for future professional development sessions using professional development feedback forms (e.g. teacher professional development surveys via the WPS assistant superintendent).
AREAS OF GROWTH: The school does not currently have a vision of the graduate. Efforts have been made to provide staff with department-specific professional development. This shift was made in response to faculty requests to have more subject-specific development in lieu of whole-school development.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: 2018-2022 School Improvement Plans; NEASC Faculty Survey; Email correspondence from administration; professional development presentations
Educators engage in ongoing reflection, formal and informal collaboration, and professional development to improve student learning and well-being.
Write a narrative for each Principle explaining how the committee made the determination based on the rubric (Not Yet Evident, Initiating, Developing, Implementing, or Transforming). Describe which elements of the Principle the school is aligned with and which elements still need additional work to ensure alignment. Explain what the school still needs to do in order to fully implement that Principle in the school. Use the descriptors for each Principle as guidance. Feel free to include these descriptors as topic sentences for paragraphs or questions to answer in the narrative. The length of each narrative description will vary based on the school’s level of alignment to the Principle and the elements encompassed by each Principle.
Educators engage in ongoing reflection, formal and informal collaboration, and professional development to improve student learning and well-being. Educators do this by continuously examining their practice to ensure consistency with the school's core values, and beliefs about learning. This is evident in the write-ups from administrative observations, formative and summative evaluation meetings, and PLC (professional learning community) team meetings. During professional development days, both at the start of the school year and throughout the year on full and half days, resources from outside of the school, including educational research, are used to maintain currency with best practices. This includes guest speakers that have come to do presentations about special education, content-specific professionals, and topics specific to pandemic teaching. Through the work done during PLC, educators engage in supervision and evaluation using effective and timely feedback to improve practices that result in increased student learning. Teachers apply the skills and knowledge gained through professional learning to their practice.
According to the 2021 NEASC teacher survey, 70% of teachers meet to revise and refine the curriculum at least 1 or 2 times a month. 50% of teachers say they discuss the goals of the school less than once a month.
All WMHS faculty utilize a web-based tool called TeachPoint to develop their professional and student learning goals. The tool allows faculty members to reflect on goals and past practices to improve student learning and well-being. Training is provided as needed, but the evaluation system tool is intuitive and works in conjunction with Google Drive.
AREAS OF GROWTH: Evaluators should ensure that observations in classrooms across all departments are consistent. WMHS should continue to find a balance between creating norms and protocols for PLCs while still allowing for teacher-driven work. This would give teachers the opportunity to talk freely about department needs and also enable faculty to have autonomy as education professionals. Faculty would like more informal and formal opportunities to discuss student outcomes with faculty members outside of their department area. Additionally, some faculty members fall under two departments (e.g. SPED and ELA) and do not always have an opportunity to participate in all department-area PD or PLCs.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Professional Development Plan 2021-2022; PLC Rubric; Supervision and Evaluation Goals Meetings
Educators examine evidence of student learning and well-being to improve curriculum, instruction, assessment practices, and programs and services.
Write a narrative for each Principle explaining how the committee made the determination based on the rubric (Not Yet Evident, Initiating, Developing, Implementing, or Transforming). Describe which elements of the Principle the school is aligned with and which elements still need additional work to ensure alignment. Explain what the school still needs to do in order to fully implement that Principle in the school. Use the descriptors for each Principle as guidance. Feel free to include these descriptors as topic sentences for paragraphs or questions to answer in the narrative. The length of each narrative description will vary based on the school’s level of alignment to the Principle and the elements encompassed by each Principle.
Educators examine evidence of student learning and well-being to improve curriculum, instruction, assessment practices, and programs and services. Educators collaborate on creating and assessing common assessments. Some common assessments are given throughout departments and others throughout PLC teams. Teachers use PLC time to review student work to inform decision-making about their courses and instruction. PLC time is used to look at data from a variety of formative and summative assessments as well as achievement data, disaggregated by subgroups. WMHS educators use data from our sending school, the Galvin Middle School, to help with student placement as well as instruction. Educators use feedback from a variety of sources, including students, other educators, supervisors, families, and the school community. 85% of educators responded to the 2021 NEASC Teacher survey stating that they ask students for feedback to improve their teaching.
Educators use the examination of evidence to improve curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices. PLC time is used to analyze data to identify and respond to inequities in student achievement. In the 2021 NEASC survey, 80% of educators examined student work to make instructional decisions more than 1 or 2 times a month. Educators improve programs and services, such as health, counseling, and student support services largely from the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey that is given to students. Library services are improved using data from database statistics, citation management statistics, anecdotal evidence, and student requests.
AREAS OF GROWTH: WMHS faculty have voiced that the intervention referral process needs improvement in its analysis and collection of data. Many faculty agree with the benefit of collecting student assessment data with the caveat that data collection should be “streamlined, focused, accessible, easily reviewable,” and consequently improvement to curriculum, instruction, assessment practices, and programs and services should be clearly implementable (NEASC Self-Reflection Workshop Faculty Feedback). While 85% of educators ask for student feedback to improve their teaching, the school could benefit from a consistent tool or form to gather student feedback annually.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Professional Development Plan 20212-2022; PLC Rubric; NEASC Self-Reflection Workshop Faculty Feedback
Collaborative structures and processes support the coordination and implementation of curriculum.
WMHS has collaborative structures and processes that support the coordination and implementation of the curriculum. This work is done during weekly PLC meetings that are built into the schedule, monthly department meetings, and a few times a year when meeting vertically with middle school teachers. This allows for effective curricular coordination within and among each academic area, department, and program in the school and vertical articulation within the school and with sending schools in the district.
AREAS OF GROWTH: Allowing more time for middle school and high school teachers to collaborate would strengthen the curriculum, vertical alignment, and student learning outcomes. Student support services vary throughout the district. This may create obstacles for students who are unable to self-advocate or navigate student support structures from school to school.
Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and Wellness do not currently have 5-12 curriculum coordinators as in other discipline areas. Instead, they are supervised by K-12 administrators (Director of Visual and Performing Arts; Athletic Director). Faculty members in these areas feel that greater vertical alignment between our sending school (Galvin Middle School) and the high school could occur if these roles existed.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Professional Development Schedule/Agendas
School-wide organizational practices are designed to meet the learning needs of each student.
Write a narrative for each Principle explaining how the committee made the determination based on the rubric (Not Yet Evident, Initiating, Developing, Implementing, or Transforming). Describe which elements of the Principle the school is aligned with and which elements still need additional work to ensure alignment. Explain what the school still needs to do in order to fully implement that Principle in the school. Use the descriptors for each Principle as guidance. Feel free to include these descriptors as topic sentences for paragraphs or questions to answer in the narrative. The length of each narrative description will vary based on the school’s level of alignment to the Principle and the elements encompassed by each Principle.
School-wide organizational practices are designed to meet the learning needs of each student. Students have access to challenging academic experiences for all learners. The school has offerings of multiple levels of courses that includes Advanced Placement and Honors Level Courses. Additionally, students have an opportunity to take courses through Virtual High School, which offers more than 200 additional course titles. Courses throughout the curriculum are populated with learners reflecting the diversity of the student body. We do not restrict students from entering any level course; they are able to take any level course (even against teacher recommendation) if they have completed any necessary prerequisites, in an effort to increase accessibility to all students and to remove barriers to students. Learning environments and practices are inclusive at WMHS. This is evident in our co-taught classes where students of varying levels are in the same course with differentiated instruction and modified assessments to meet the needs of their IEPs. Students have opportunities to learn with and from students who are different from them, such as heterogeneously grouped courses. Some examples of this are in the English 9, Algebra 1, and Geometry classes.
AREAS OF GROWTH: Efforts to create more consistent classroom sizes should be considered in the future so as to more appropriately meet student needs and maximize the availability of quality instruction and feedback. Smaller classes can be equally as challenging as larger classrooms based on student-need, classroom dynamics, and the availability of support staff. Efforts to ensure that classrooms are staffed with adequate support personnel are ongoing.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: Program of Studies; Special Education Supports; Intervention Referral Process
Educators develop productive student, family, community, business, and higher education partnerships that support learning.
Write a narrative for each Principle explaining how the committee made the determination based on the rubric (Not Yet Evident, Initiating, Developing, Implementing, or Transforming). Describe which elements of the Principle the school is aligned with and which elements still need additional work to ensure alignment. Explain what the school still needs to do in order to fully implement that Principle in the school. Use the descriptors for each Principle as guidance. Feel free to include these descriptors as topic sentences for paragraphs or questions to answer in the narrative. The length of each narrative description will vary based on the school’s level of alignment to the Principle and the elements encompassed by each Principle.
Educators develop productive student, family, community, business, and higher education partnerships that support learning. WMHS enables and promotes relationships with the community, businesses, and higher education institutions that support authentic student learning experiences.
Community:
Mural painting and window painting for local businesses- proceeds benefit arts programming
Theater programs are open to all students and open to the public
Social Awareness Club/NAHS/NHS - performs service projects in Wakefield and Greater Boston Area (Cradles to Crayons, Dutton Center, Rotary Club, Linus Project)
Fright Night - Culinary class, visual arts, and the TV program collaborate with the local library and downtown businesses to provide a community event near Halloween
Business:
Wakefield Savings Bank - WMHS has a branch of the bank in house which provides student interns with authentic career opportunities within the school day
Community Scholarships from local business organizations
Business partnerships and sponsorships for athletics and other extracurriculars
Higher Education:
North Shore Community College - dual enrollment opportunities
Salem State University - provides interns for guidance, student teachers, and professional development collaboration
UMASS Boston - dual enrollment for WMHS students interns, student teachers, professional development collaboration
It is the expectation that this is done through our work-study program and dual enrollment. Educators engage students and families as partners in each learner's education. 72% of educators responded to the 2021 NEASC Teacher survey stating that they highly prioritize engaging parents as partners in helping students to learn. Teachers in all departments make use of calendars, Google Classroom, and iPass to keep all families informed and involved. Additionally, teachers email and conference with parents regularly.
AREAS OF GROWTH: Greater efforts should be made to enable students to intern in the Wakefield and Greater Boston communities. Efforts to support our Boston students should continue to grow especially in reference to community, business, and higher education institutions both in Wakefield and Boston. Additionally, a stronger relationship between our Boston communities and Wakefield communities would benefit students and faculty as a METCO school.
Some department areas have made significant strides to develop community and business relationships (in particular, the Visual Arts and Performing Arts departments). Greater focus should be placed to increase student visibility and achievement in the Wakefield community and to better connect students to real-world learning opportunities in their community for all department areas.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: NEASC Teacher Survey; Sample Google Classroom (Senior Class); Social Media
The school develops and/or updates annually a school improvement plan with measurable goals that promote a strategic approach to school growth and align with district priorities.
Teachers actively participate in weekly PLC meetings to reflect, collaborate, and develop curriculum and instructional tools
Curricular coordination across PLCs and departments provide guidance and structure to teacher practice
Organizational practices around course offerings and course leveling to meet diverse student needs
The school has built positive relationships with students, families, community organizations, and higher education partners that promote interconnectivity and a collaborative effort to support the school's work
Engage all stakeholders in the work to develop a strong Vision of the Graduate
Examine student assessment data and student evidence, with consistent tools and protocols,
Develop more opportunities for formal and informal faculty collaboration outside of their department areas
Explore student internship opportunities with local business partners
Revisit the school's Intervention Process to ensure a full-information loop for faculty to be involved in the process and to include additional intervention strategies for students based on growing diverse needs